1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handle assembly for a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a handle assembly for a vacuum cleaner having an improved rotating connection portion which is capable of rotatably connecting a rigid wand with a flexible hose of the vacuum cleaner, has a simple internal structure and can be manufactured at a low cost.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of vacuum cleaners for easily removing dust or other foreign substances piled up on furniture, a floor, or a carpet in a room have been proposed hitherto. Generally, vacuum cleaners can be classified into canister-type vacuum cleaners and upright-type vacuum cleaners.
A canister-type vacuum cleaner includes a body mounted on wheels and a hose assembly for sucking dust or other foreign substances into the body. A suction generating means such as a suction fan, a motor for driving the suction generating means, and a disposable dust container for filtering dust or other foreign substances from air sucked by the vacuum cleaner, are positioned in the body. A main brush and a suction nozzle are provided at a free end of the hose assembly.
An upright-type vacuum cleaner has a constitution which is similar to that of the canister-type vacuum cleaner. However, the upright-type vacuum cleaner differs in that it vacuums a surface directly beneath its body, so a hose assembly is not required.
These days, the canister-type vacuum cleaner is more frequently used in the home than the upright-type vacuum.
FIG. 6 illustrates a canister-type vacuum cleaner 100. Vacuum cleaner 100 includes a floor cleaning unit 110, a canister unit 120, and a hose assembly 130 extending between floor cleaning unit 110 and canister unit 120.
Floor cleaning unit 110 includes a main brush (not shown) or a suction nozzle (not shown), and the like. Floor cleaning unit 110 is detachably connected to hose assembly 130.
Canister unit 120 mainly includes a hood 122, a cover 124 and a body 126. Hood 122 encloses the dust collecting compartment and is pivotally installed onto body 126 so that the dust collecting compartment can be opened and closed. Hood 122 is provided with an inlet opening 127 formed through hood 122 for receiving hose assembly 130. Hood 122 also is provided with a transparent window 128 for notifying the user of the dust collecting state. Cover 124 encloses a motor compartment (not shown) where an electric motor and a suction fan driven by the electric motor are positioned. Further, a main electric cord 129 for applying an electric power from an external electric source to vacuum cleaner 100 is installed in the motor compartment. Main electric cord 129 is provided with a plug 129a at its free end.
Hose assembly 130 comprises a rigid wand 132 and a flexible hose 134, and is pneumatically connected to a dust collecting compartment (not shown) of canister unit 120 by a suction hose connector 136. Rigid wand 132 is rotatably connected to flexible hose 134 by a handle assembly 200.
Meanwhile, FIG. 7 illustrates the conventional handle assembly 200 in detail. Handle assembly 200 mainly includes a connector 131, a rotating connection portion 140 and a handle 170. A free end of connector 131 is detachably connected to an end of rigid wand 132. Pipe hose 131 is rotatably connected to flexible hose 134 by rotating connection portion 140.
Rotating connection portion 140 comprises an inner pipe 142 and an outer pipe 144. Inner pipe 142 is rotatably installed in outer pipe 144. Outer pipe 144 is integrally formed with connector 131. That is, outer pipe 144 extends downward from connector 131. In a front end of inner pipe 142, a ring-shaped packing pipe 150 is disposed on an outer periphery of inner pipe 142. Packing pipe 150 provides an airtight seal between inner pipe 142 and outer pipe 144. In a middle position of inner pipe 142, a ring-shaped first frame terminal 152a and a ring-shaped second frame terminal 152b are mounted to an outer surface of inner pipe 142. First frame terminal 152a and second frame terminal 152b include a plurality of iron cores which are installed therein.
Elastic third frame terminals 154 are disposed on a predetermined portion of outer pipe 144 which is brought into contact with first frame terminal 152a and second frame terminal 152b. When first frame terminal 152a and second frame terminal 152b rotate by rotating inner pipe 142 in relation to outer pipe 144, third frame terminals 154 always makes contact with first frame terminal 152a and second frame terminal 152b. An adapter pipe 156 is firmly fixed to inner pipe 142 by a first screw 158.
A ring-shaped cover terminal 155 is disposed to a lower end of inner pipe 142. Cover terminal 155 extends upward along inner pipe 142 and is electrically connected to a lower end of first frame terminal 152a and a lower end of second frame terminal 152b. A part of flexible hose 134 is fixed to the outer periphery of inner pipe 142, on which cover terminal 155 is disposed. In consideration of an external appearance of handle assembly 200, a cover hose 146 is mounted onto the part of flexible hose 134.
A first lead wire 157a is connected to a free end of cover terminal 155. First lead wire 157a extends from the free end of cover terminal 155 to the motor compartment of canister unit 120 along flexible hose 134, and is connected to a printed circuit board (not shown, hereinafter referred to "PCB") which is installed in the motor compartment.
Meanwhile, second lead wires 157b are connected to an end of first frame terminal 152a. Second lead wire 157b extends from the end of first frame terminal 152a to an interior of handle 170 through a through hole 159 which is formed through a partition wall 131b between connector 131 and handle 170. Second lead wire 157a extending into the interior of handle 170 is connected to both ends of a slide volume 166 of a suction control switch 160 which is installed in the interior of handle 170.
Suction control switch 160 mainly includes an operation knob 162, a supporting plate 164, and slide volume 166, which is a variable resistor. Operation knob 162 slideably moves along a slide opening which is formed through a cover 172 of handle 170. Operation knob 162 slideably makes contact with slide volume 166. Slide volume 166 is fixed to partition wall 131a and a bottom wall 176 of handle 170 by a plurality of second screws 168. Cover 172 of handle 170 is fixed to partition wall 131a and bottom wall 176 of handle 170 by a plurality of third screws 178.
When a user wants to perform a cleaning job by using vacuum cleaner 100 as described above, the user inserts plug 129a of main electric cord 129 into an outlet wall (not shown). Thereafter, the user starts a suction operation by turning on suction control switch 160. Under this state, the user of vacuum cleaner 100 slideably moves floor cleaning unit 110 along the surface to be cleaned so that the cleaning job can be performed. At this time, inner pipe 142 and outer pipe 144 of handle assembly 200 can rotate together in 360 degrees. Accordingly, the user of vacuum cleaner 100 can perform the cleaning job by moving handle assembly 200 into various positions as needed, and can prevent flexible hose 134 from twisting during use.
However, in the conventional handle assembly 200, in order to always provide an electrical connection between suction control switch 160 which is installed in handle 170 and an outer electric source (not shown), and in order to allow for the rotation of handle 170, it is required that first frame terminal 152a, second frame terminal 152b, third frame terminal 154 and cover terminal 155 are installed in handle assembly 200. Accordingly, an internal structure of handle assembly 200 is complicated, and handle assembly 200 frequently breaks down. Further, the manufacturing cost of handle assembly 200 is high. In addition, second lead wire 157b extending between slide volume 166 of handle 170 and first frame terminal 152a can become twisted or can experience a short.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,568 issued to Dean R. Rohn et al. on May 5, 1992 discloses a handle assembly for securing a vacuum hose to an intake nozzle of a vacuum cleaner. Dean R. Rohn et al.'s handle assembly includes a first mating handle housing section and a second mating handle housing section which are provided with a plurality of oppositely facing ridges and oppositely facing grooved portions. When a user of the vacuum cleaner connects the vacuum hose to the intake nozzle, the first mating handle housing section and the second mating handle housing section are tightly engaged with an end of the vacuum hose and a shoulder portion of a elbow section, respectively by the ridges and the grooved portions. Accordingly, in Dean R. Rohn et al.s' handle assembly, when the user performs a cleaning job by moving the handle assembly into various positions, clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation of the vacuum hose is prevented.
However, Dean R. Rohn et al.s' handle assembly is contrived to prevent the vacuum hose from rotating during the use of the vacuum cleaner. Therefore, Dean R. Rohn et al.s' handle assembly does not employ a special connection means for rotatably connecting the vacuum hose to the suction nozzle in order to prevent the vacuum hose from running during the use of the vacuum cleaner.